Famous People Born In Lviv

Stanisław Lem was a Polish writer who specialized in the science fiction genre. He was also a noted essayist who wrote on varied subjects, including philosophy, futurology, and literary criticism. His books, which have been translated into over 50 languages, have sold more than 45 million copies worldwide. He was the recipient of numerous awards and honors. 

Paul Muni was an Austro-Hungarian American actor best remembered for his portrayal of Louis Pasteur in the 1936 biographical film The Story of Louis Pasteur, which earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor. Muni is also remembered for his performance in the play Inherit the Wind, which earned him the prestigious Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play.

Anna Muzychuk is a Ukrainian chess player who became only the fourth woman in the history of chess to achieve a FIDE rating of 2600 or more. Muzychuk, who attained the Grandmaster title in 2012, is a three-time fast chess world champion. 

Leopold von Sacher-Masoch lent his name to the term masochism, a form of sexual deviation. Best known for his novel Venus in Furs, one of his rare books that have been translated in English, he depicted Galician romance and fantasies. He spent his final years in a mental asylum.

Four-time Grand Slam champion Elena Vesnina has also earned two Olympic medals, which were, unfortunately lost in a theft in 2021. She has consistently been one of the top-ranked doubles players and went back to the tennis court at age 34 after a hiatus following her pregnancy.

Austro-Hungarian journalist Leopold Weiss was a descendant of rabbis and ran away from home in his teens, taking up odd jobs, before finally becoming a journalist in Germany. His work took him to the Middle East, where he converted to Islam and adopted the name Muhammad Asad.

Stanislaw Ulam was a Polish-American scientist best remembered for his expertise in the fields of nuclear physics and mathematics. He played an important role during the Second World War, working together with other scientists and mathematicians in the Manhattan Project. He is also credited with originating the Teller–Ulam design, the basis for all thermonuclear weapons.    

Emanuel Ax is a Soviet Union-born American classical pianist best known for his collaboration with cellist Yo-Yo Ma; Ax's collaborative efforts alongside Yo-Yo Ma earned him five Grammys between 1986 and 1996. Ax has also earned a couple of Grammys for his solo performances. He is also the recipient of other awards like Avery Fisher Prize and Echo Klassik Award.

Richard von Mises was an Austrian Jewish scientist and mathematician. He is known for his work on solid mechanics, aerodynamics, aeronautics, fluid mechanics, and probability theory. He was the Gordon McKay Professor of Aerodynamics and Applied Mathematics at Harvard University. He is the one who proposed the now-famous "birthday problem" in probability theory. He was married to mathematician Hilda Geiringer.  

Austrian Communist International leader Karl Radek had been imprisoned for a year for his association with the Russian Revolution. Born Karol Sobelsohn, he changed his name to Radek, after a character in the book Syzyfowe prace. He lost his life during the Great Purge initiated by Joseph Stalin.

Slovenian Grandmaster Alexander Beliavsky initially represented the Soviet Union, followed by Ukraine, and eventually Slovenia. The chess sensation has been a 4-time Soviet champion and a 2-time Slovenian champion. He has beaten several world champions and has also been a chess coach with the title of FIDE Senior Trainer.

Jan Łukasiewicz was a Polish philosopher and logician. He is best remembered for Łukasiewicz logic and Polish notation. His work centred on mathematical logic, philosophical logic, and history of logic. Jan Łukasiewicz is often counted among the most prominent historians of logic.

Stanislaw Jerzy Lec was a Polish poet and aphorist. Best remembered for his skeptical philosophical-moral aphorisms and lyric poetry, Lec is counted among the 20th century's most influential aphorists. He is also widely regarded as one of the greatest writers of post-war Poland. Before the advent of World War II, Stanisław Jerzy Lec had founded a satirical magazine called Szpilki.

Adam Zagajewski was a Polish poet, essayist, translator, and novelist. A prominent poet of the Polish New Wave and one of the most important contemporary poets from Poland, Adam Zagajewski was honored with several prestigious awards such as the Neustadt International Prize for Literature, Griffin Poetry Prize for Lifetime Achievement, and Princess of Asturias Award.

Polish pianist Mieczyslaw Horszowski was introduced to the piano by his pianist mother. A child prodigy, he had already mastered Bach by age 6. He later moved to the US, where he played with the NBC Symphony Orchestra and also performed twice at the White House.

A significant figure of the Young Poland movement, poet and translator Leopold Staff is remembered for his works such as Dreams of Power and The Needle’s Eye. He experimented with various poetic forms and often exhibited elements of classicism and symbolism. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize, too.

Ukrainian and Russian theater actor and director Roman Viktyuk initially gained huge fame in the Russian stage circle. He later founded the Roman Viktyuk Theater, which later became a state theater, and also taught at the Russian Academy of Theater Arts. He died of COVID-19 in 2020.

Polish Baroque era poet and historian Józef Bartłomiej Zimorowic is best remembered for his satires, pastoral poems, and erotic epigrams. He had also been the burgomaster of Lwów and had written extensively about the history of the city. He also penned The Cossacks and The Ruthenian Affray on the Cossack rebellion.